Meet Rocio Mesa of LA OLA – Independent Films From Spain

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rocio Mesa.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Rocio. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Andalucia, Spain: southern traditions, Mediterranean culture, flamenco and rock and roll. In 2011, during my mid-twenties, I got a grant to study documentary filmmaking overseas. I could choose between New York and Los Angeles. I was obsessed with the California garage rock scene, so I didn’t think about it twice: “L.A., there I go!” When I landed in Los Angeles I realized: “oh shit, this is where Hollywood is!” Believe it or not, as much as I love filmmaking I never thought about it. I just wanted to dance and watch indie/experimental films. I was dazed and confused by this tremendous city designed for cars.

My English was terrible, I barely knew how to drive and I felt very disconnected from the local mainstream film industry. In the other hand, I was fascinated by the mid-century architecture, the bizarro hidden gems of this town, the Chicano culture and of course the music scene. I found my place among fanatics of the 60s Psychedelic music revival and Californian garage. But a woman can not only live of music, I also wanted to make films and to help other filmmakers making the type of cinema I believe in.

So in 2013 I premiered my first feature documentary film ORENSANZ, nominated for Best Andalusian Documentary at the ASECAN Awards and selected on international film festivals like Seville European Film Festival, BAFICI or Alcances. And in 2014 I founded, along with some of my colleagues, LA OLA – Independent Films From Spain, a showcase of the best contemporary Spanish cinema. A new generation of Spanish filmmakers is producing work that challenges boundaries and has been recognized at the most prestigious international film festivals such as Rotterdam, Locarno, San Sebastian or Berlinale.

Sadly, these films are rarely being distributed through mainstream commercial channels, so LA OLA was designed as a bridge between Spain and the Americas to support Spanish new cinema`s international visibility. Our first annual event happened in 2015 only in Los Angeles and now we are about to celebrate our 4th Edition in June 2018, after expanding to the East Coast and Mexico. LA OLA is currently based in Los Angeles (American Cinematheque/The Montalban Rooftop), New York (Anthology Film Archives) and Mexico City (Cineteca Nacional).

I am very proud of being the director of this event that we make directly from our hearts, humbly trying to transform the film scene and helping the cinema we believe in to have more visibility and repercussion. The crew of professionals behind this project are goodhearted and hard-workers like no others. They make me believe in a better future for filmmaking, they don’t let me down, they feed my passion, they think about the world as a community, they believe in the minorities, they are bringing inspiration to all America.

I am currently working on my next feature film project as a writer/director called ‘Secaderos’ (‘Tobacco Barns’), selected by the Faliro House Sundance Screenwriters LAB in 2017. And I am very honored to have been selected as one of the top 10 “Spanish Women Rising in the Film Business” by Variety in 2017.

Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, struggling is part of the joy, each rock in the road has been a learning experience. I would say it was not easy but it was all beautiful and worth it. My main struggle maybe was to find my professional place in this city, highly dominated by the mainstream cinema industry. But once I found it, I discovered thousands of people on my side creating great stuff, inspiring me every day… I just needed to dig a little bit.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the LA OLA – Independent Films From Spain story. Tell us more about the business.
LA OLA is an annual showcase of the best contemporary independent cinema from Spain in America.

L.A. OLA was started in 2015 with the intention of giving exposure to the most avant-garde Spanish film creations, distributing them in movie theaters in Los Angeles, the Mecca for the industry. Thanks to the success of the first two editions, the showcase expanded in 2017 to the East coast of the U.S. and set up a new headquarters in New York in partnership with the historic Anthology Film Archives. Therefore, in only three years L.A. OLA has become a benchmark for avant-garde film experts in the United States and a not-to-miss event for all lovers of Spanish culture in both costs of the country. In 2018, thanks to the success in the US, the showcase opened a new location in Mexico City in collaboration with the prestigious Cineteca Nacional.

LA OLA is one of the few Spanish initiatives directly supported by emblematic U.S. entities such as the American Cinematheque or Los Angeles Filmforum. This is because of the excellent quality of its programming that focuses on showcasing a portion of the Spanish film culture that, despite being highly relevant, gets very little international distribution. L.A. OLA programmers do a very thorough curating effort every year selecting works that have been awarded by the leading European festivals and praised by the most respected critique. Through LA OLA, these films become accessible to a U.S. audience interested in independent filmmaking and Spain’s artistic production.

The fact that the showcase takes place in three such prominent global culture capitals like Los Angeles, New York, and Mexico City, is a great opportunity for the selected films and its directors, who get the chance to make contacts with noted international film agents. In 2017 alone, LA OLA featured four guest filmmakers and two guest programmers from Spain that were able to present their works and projects in person and to make local connections in the US. In June 2018 LA OLA is bringing other four new outstanding filmmakers to America.

Additionally, to film screenings, the annual programming of LA OLA features other parallel activities that complement the film selection. Throughout the duration of the showcase, there are activities like industry panels, master classes, Spanish modern classics screenings, live music, and national tapas and wine tasting. A great multidisciplinary event that happens in landmarks like the Egyptian Theater or Anthology Film Archives, as well as trendy venues like the Montalban Theater Rooftop at the heart of Hollywood, and attracts a diverse audience eager to know more about these new proposals.

LA OLA’s job of helping give international recognition to Spanish independent film does not finish when the showcase closes, the work goes on all year round by making it possible for officially selected films to secure sales and distribution beyond the event. The most outstanding example was the recent collaboration with the online platform MUBI, through which three Spanish independent films were made available in over two hundred countries around the world for over one month, being viewed by thousands.

L.A. OLA was designed not only to serve as a window through which to watch Spanish progressive films but also as a meeting point where a dialogue between both continents is generated. After three successful editions of the showcase, we are proud of having created a bridge that supports the independent film industry in both continents, Europe and America.

LA OLA | LA will take place from May 31 to June 3 at the Egyptian Theatre, the Montalban Rooftop Cinema Club and The Echo Park Film Center, celebrating four consecutive years in the city of Los Angeles. The film showcase will continue with LA OLA | CDMX from June 8 to June 10 at the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico. The last stop of the event will be LA OLA | NYC from June 15 to June 18 at the Anthology Film Archives in New York. LA OLA will bring guest filmmakers from Spain in person to all the showcase’s venues. Besides the screenings and Q&As, LA OLA | LA will offer other activities like an industry panel and a masterclass, soon to be announced along with the 2018 programming.

LA OLA | LA – May 31st to June 3 – Egyptian Theater, the Montalban Rooftop Cinema Club and The Echo Park Film Center
LA OLA | CDMX – June 8 to June 10 – Cineteca Nacional de Mexico
LA OLA | NYC – June 15 to June 17 – Anthology Film Archives

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see more filmmakers wanting to reflect the diversity and complexity of society in terms of gender, race, sexual identity and class. I see women in power, I see feminists and intersectional perspectives and I see the queer community running the show.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://laolashowcase.com/

Image Credit:
Priscilla Mars

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